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Wonderland Reviews
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| 46 |
Phat Costumes, Thin Plot Review by: Concourse Diva, Mar 27, 2011 |
THE GOOD: The theatre was filled with a multi-cultural audience that I haven't found at most of the Broadway shows I've attended recently, which was really great to see. The costumes were fantastic and the opening numbers--starting with a "Welcome to Wonderland" that featured EVERYONE (including some very beefy guys with beards) dressed as the proto-typical pinafore clad Alice, down through the next few songs where the lead characters were ... read more introduced (the Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, the White Knight) were witty, well performed and electrifying. The costumes were whimsical and very well-executed. The lead actress, with her mass of corkscrew ringlets, curvy figure and glowing, tawny skin is not your "typical" ingenue and it was very refreshing to see someone that looked like a polished version of most of the women I see in my Bronx neighborhood represented on stage. All of the performers in the heavily ensemble-centered cast were excellent, with most having to work so very hard to overcome the ridiculous plot and plodding, repetitive music (it all started to sound the same after awhile and none were "hummable"--i.e., you walk out of the theatre humming one of the evocative tunes). The stand-out moment for me was the "boy band" themed song (replete with sweatbands, falsetto and faux macho posturing) that accompanied the White Knight's introductory number. Unlike many of the reviews, I LIKED the "borscht-belt", schticky, throwback humor (most of the time you expected a rim shot following one of those groaners) and there were some very witty jabs at the conservative Tea Party movement that had our audience howling and applauding.
THE BAD: The story was ridiculous...a mash-up of both "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through The Looking Glass" with a post-modern Disney-fied "don't let your dreams die. It's never too late to start living the life you wished for" message that was jammed down our throats (like an after-thought add-on) at one specific moment that I felt all that was missing were gigantic neon arrows overhead pointing at the characters with the words "This is the message, folks!" in rafters-high lettering. Do they really think the audience is so dumb that they can't discern the message if told in a subtle, nuanced and down-lo way? Add to that the silly and amateurish plot "twist" that the Mad Hatter is trying to overthrow and depose the Sally Jesse Raphael-ish looking Queen of Hearts (who sports bedazzled Sarah Palin glasses)and the show completely lost my interest after the very promising first half hour.
THE UGLY: Two things: 1) I did not care about any of the characters or what happened to them. No-one made me lean foward in my seat, enrapt. No song gave me chills or brought tears to my eyes which is the ONLY reason to see live theatre and not just stay home and catch re-runs of The Golden Girls. 2) I blame Rent for this, but why do musicals now have to SCREAM at the audience? (The mics were turned up so high that I shoved kleenex in my ears and I could still hear everything crystal clear and loud.) Are these actors not classically-trained professionals who can generate their own volume in such a small theatre with only a little mic "boost"? Sadly, the mics were turned up so much that no subtly or nuance could be heard in the actor's singing. As well, there was an odd reverb to the amplification, it seemed as if their were more voices than people in the ensemble (I know Mamma Mia does this--has people backstage at mics "filling in" the choral moments) and I swear that sometimes people's voices were coming out but their mouths were not moving (my friend noticed this too and at one point leaned in to say "are they lip-synching?")So that was ummm...weird. All in all, a sad waste of a promising idea and a very talented, charismatic cast that left me feeling like (the mysteriously absent) Tweedledee and Tweedledum--left out and unmoved. |
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| 47 |
Wonderland: full of unrealized potential Review by: aidel, Mar 27, 2011 |
| This show is full of potential. Major strengths include a strong, glorious cast (including every member of the ensemble cast), good musical numbers, and respectable stage direction. Weaknesses include the script (it is a pity that a story so rich with potential jokes and word-play falls back on worn out cliches and TV commercial humor), the sets (what is there is fabulous but incomplete), and the costume/general look of Alice (funny, ... read more costumes range from fabulous to all wrong), the rabbit's costume also needs improvement. The most problematic scene is the scene in which Alice meets her child self. Ironically, there is nothing childlike about her child self. So much for a sense of wonder! The child Alice has her life more meticulously planned that even the most anal soccer-mom's plans for her children. The young actress who plays Chloe is a brilliant actor but unfortunately, she isn't given much of a character to play (that is to say her character is woefully underdeveloped). We saw the show on the first night of previews and understandably there was still some fumbling over lines but this was not nearly as worrisome as the problems with the script and the rest of the show's unrealized potential. I sincerely hope improvements are made before opening night. |
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| 48 |
New Twist on and a Familiar Story Review by: Joni B, Mar 26, 2011 |
| I thought they told the story really well. I especially liked the Caterpillar and the Mad Hatter. Excellent scenery and costumes. |
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My recommendation:
Make an effort to see
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| 49 |
Review by: Bob, Mar 26, 2011 |
| In a nutshell this show is FANTASTIC. The Mad Hatter has a voice literally to die for and she's not too bad to look at either. It's a modern day story of Alice in Wonderland ala Bronx NYC style. At the end of the show the audience gives a standing ovation. The music is light but good and the costumes very Alice like. It moves quickly and you leave the theater remembering how you had a dream as a kid before life beat you down. Go See It! |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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Recommended for:
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| 50 |
How did this mess ever get to Broadway??? Review by: librarian73, Mar 24, 2011 |
| This show sucked. I love pretty much every show I see, but this was so dull and amateurish I seriously considered leaving during intermission. Tuneless music, awful lyrics, and HORRIBLE jokes nobody laughed at. The two guys sitting in front of me fell asleep, and as I left, I overheard snippets like "mediocre" "community theater" and my friend called it the "poor man's Wicked". There's no magic or charisma to be found anywhere, ... read more except brief flashes from Kate Shindle. Avoid!! |
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My recommendation:
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| 51 |
Stunning and enjoyable Review by: Joe, Mar 24, 2011 |
| This is a great show. The range of emotions, cleverly written win a contemporary setting is compelling. The music, costumes and sets are stunning. Truly a wonderful performance. |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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Recommended for:
The Entire Family, Seniors, Tourists
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| 52 |
GO SEE IT Review by: Lady Di, Mar 24, 2011 |
| Loved the show. It reminded me of Wicked. The singing was fantastic and the show was extremely upbeat. It was definitely worth the money |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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| 53 |
Needs Work. Review by: Pris, Mar 23, 2011 |
| Talented cast and some good songs. Book is all over the place. Needs to incorporate Alice's story with more finesse. Right now it's a lot of other shows a la carte. Please! At the Tea Party, use a Tea Pot instead of a pitcher! Work on it, it has potential. Kate Shindle is fantastic. She make her numbers dynamic, even though they aren't. |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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| 54 |
Good Show for the Entire Family Review by: Carol, Mar 22, 2011 |
This is a fanciful play with a slim plot line about appreciating what you already have after a journey seeking something new. Janet Dacal as Alice is a very talented performer as is the very young and engaging Carly Rose Sonenclar as her daughter Chloe. Susan Hilferty's costumes add to the delight of the show.
This is a return to the classic Broadway musical in which Jack Murphy, Frank Wildhorn, and Gregory Boyd wrote the music and ... read more lyrics with an overture and songs that made sense in advancing the plot rather than having the plot revolve around insipid numbers. |
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My recommendation:
Go see if you get a chance
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| 55 |
NOT WHAT WAS EXPECTED Review by: Stooooie, Mar 22, 2011 |
| Started off quite well, gorgeous sets, gorgeous lighting and costumes, the overture was interesting all well and good. Then the words, the songs, not as original as I had hoped, the lyrics, everyword rhyming with the last, not up to Mr Wildhorns previous shows were very dissappointing. Show is billed as a "new" twist on the original story, but where is the twist. Its nothing more than a re staging of the original book. So,, ... read more what I was hoping was for something original turned out to be disappointing as a broadway entertainment. |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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I saw this show with:
Alone
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Recommended for:
Tourists
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| * Review is an opinion of a BroadwayBox user and not that of BroadwayBox.com and BroadwayBox, Inc. |
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